Puppy Faces
by Mistina
Summary: Who lingers beneath that adorable puppy face? Is it a small mind? A large heart, perhaps? Or is it more complicated than that? Remember, even the slowest of puppies grow up eventually... JouMai


**Disclaimer:** If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, the following would be published as a book for MONEY! $$$ Now, since you're reading this for free, I do **NOT** own Yu-Gi-Oh… Unless I'm Kazuki Takahasi secretly writing English Yu-Gi-Oh fanfics under this username and posing as a girl to really throw people off… Yeah right! So, once more, I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh. :D

**Author:** Mistina

**Beta-Reader:** Masaro

**Pairing(s):** Jounouchi Katsuya/Kujaku Mai

**Synopsis:** Who lingers beneath that adorable puppy face? A small mind? A large heart? Or is it more complicated than that? Remember, even the slowest of puppies grow up eventually... -JouMai-

Flames will be tolerated but reviews would **very** much be appreciated. So, please R&R.

**-- -•- --**

**Puppy Faces**

**---- -•- -- --**

_Only when you're gone, do I realize how much I care…_

**-- -•- --**

"Onii-sama, wait up! Onii-sama? Jou!"

All sounds fell deaf upon my ears. I could only hear the screams that filled my mind. Not even the voice of my dear sister could reach me. I was barely conscious of anything at all. Every step I took, my foot would seem as if it had landed on nothing at all. The floor wasn't the only thing that seemed to be absent: the doors, photographs on the walls, vents in the ceiling… Hell, I don't think that I was even aware that I was on a freakin' blimp anymore! I felt as if I was ghosting towards my room.

The depth of my confusion, my fear was immeasurable. Unable to understand recent events nor answer the millions of questions plaguing my mind. I felt as if I was outside looking in with ghastly terror from a whole other plane of existence.

In this trance-like state of horror stricken confusion, I reached my room, slid my card key down the slot and my door mechanically parted for me. Walking in without even thinking of bothering to remove my shoes, the door slid shut behind me leaving a small metallic clang in it's wake. I glided to the immense windows and gazed down from them. Night blanketed the city in a ream of velvety blackness I could almost touch, the twinkling city lights below that dotted it in a way that resembling stars calmed my troubled mind slightly. Slowly, I was returning, but not completely.

"Jou! What… What just happened?" I remained silent, still incapable of hearing the sounds created by others around me. "Jou, please answer me! Jou? I'm so scared!"

Even with the soothing view of the city lights, I just couldn't sort through the mass of thoughts that were rending me apart. I needed to find a way to clear my thoughts. Wishing that I could purge them every one of them, entirely forget them and be myself again, even the slightest bit of order would be nice.

Air. Fresh air might help. I mean, it works in books, or so I'm told.

My sister jumped when I turned sharply, but I didn't notice. I was coming around slowly, but her presence was still just another colored blur.

"Jou!"

With a push of a button followed by a green light that flickered weakly twice, the door swished open once more and I began wandering down the hall. Several rooms down, I realized that the only place I knew of that was exposed to the sky was… I stopped dead in my tracks. I wouldn't go up there. It'll only twist my mind more than it has been already.

That was when I saw **your** door…

**-- -•- --**

I stood by the side of **your** bed, silent. Somehow, just being in **your** presence helped clarify the jumble of thoughts, as well as emotions, of my troubled mind. Simply being with you helped more than lights or fresh air ever could. The flurry of emotions swirling within me hasn't ceased since they had emerged. They had once been a homogeneous mixture but now I can see that it is a mechanical mixture, glittering pieces flying about every which way.* They were the source of all my questions, for the most part. The storm of both weak and powerful emotions confused me so.

I have never felt this way, whatever _this_ was. Life has always been simple for me, I was happy, had my friends and lived for the moment. I was strong, but now I felt like a fragile mirror that had shattered into thousands of miniscule shards. Each shard was an emotion, some of which I recognized and others I didn't. All the different sized pieces were scattered and mixed up, like a puzzle. I was never good with puzzles.

I slid my fingers across the smooth metal frame of **your** bed then held them up before my brown eyes. Cold. This I knew for certain. All the shards of my being felt cold, like the metal. There had always been light. Even a speck could and _did_ support me in the worst of situations. But now I was cold and alone. I was lost in the shadows of the unknown, not liking this feeling at all.

My hand dropped to my side and I turned my gaze to the ground. It wasn't that I had any interest in my shoes; it was just that I couldn't let you see them: the tears that I had promised myself would never fall again began to trickle down my cheeks leaving trails in the soot and caused the blond bangs that hung over my eyes to stick to my face.

I was strong, I've been through worse, haven't I? I can adapt. I can deal… Why am I breaking now? A sigh escaped my lips, coupled with the realization that it didn't matter. I no longer cared about what others thought or how I had acted at this point. I was beyond confused and, for reasons unknown to me, deeply hurt.

As I stood by your side, I began to recall all that had led to this…

**-- -•- --**

It was that stupid card tournament that had started this, the Battle City Duel Monsters tournament. Yes, I did say _stupid_. I, Katsuya Jounouchi, runner up in the Duelist Kingdom tournament and a great otaku of Duel Monsters, am calling my favorite game stupid. Why? Because a simple card game of strategy isn't worth all the pain I've seen it inflict upon my friends and strangers.

Well, there's that, and a little because it was none other than Kaiba himself that was hosting the tournament.

_Grr… If that rich brat calls me a mutt one more time I'll…_

_Erm… Anyways…_

We were finalists in that vile tournament. The second round had just ended and we were in Rishid's room along with my friends. We were all there to see what we could do for my unfortunate foe after a duel gone horribly wrong.

This was supposed to be a normal tournament, but like Duelist Kingdom, it went beyond my comprehension. Near the end of the match, his powerful god card went out of control. The lightning that struck the field suddenly sputtered to life, becoming real as my hand. It hit both of us and knocked us right out. Our stubborn host refused to end the match. We had an equal score at this point but the cold CEO refused to neither end it as a stalemate nor delay the match altogether. Instead, he declared that the first to rise would be the victor. Obviously, that was me, considering that I'm here now…

That was my first taste of the reality that there was more to tournament than simple strategy and cards… again.

It was in my foe's room that I had just explained my theory of how I managed to regain consciousness after being struck by a renegade lightning bolt, which was supposed to be holographic. I told them about my dream; when I was knocked out, I had the strangest dream. I was in my high school, Domino High. I fell over a desk in a classroom and landed hard on the floor. All of my friends were there, telling me to hurry up for something, for some unknown reason, I just wasn't able to get up. Sheepishly, I told them so and suddenly, they all held out their hands to help me up. That's when I awoke.

Although I refused to mention this aloud, I think that all of Anzu's preaching was true. Friendship is a powerful thing.

"_Jounouchi,_" you had started, hesitantly, "_was I in your dream?_"

You asked me just as the others had left and before I, myself, was about to exit. It had caught me off guard for you hadn't asked in your usual superior and snooty tone, but in a shy, gentle one. I _really_ didn't expect you to ask at all.

The question caused the dream to play over again in my mind, and I hope that my face hadn't turned red.

There were so many hands to choose from, but I finally grasped one. The owner's violet eyes sparkled, her flowing blonde hair shone, and her perfect pink lips curved into a smile. With a gentle tug I was up, and floating.

After snapping out of my reverie, I had no idea what had come over me. My stomach twisted into a knot, my knees buckled and turned to jelly and my throat went dry. I trembled. I had become so nervous, I couldn't think straight anymore, although some would argue that I never could.

"_N-n-no! Of course not! Because… Umm…It was… because…It was at school! You don't go to my school, so… Yeah…_" I had rambled endlessly as I clumsily made my way out of the room.

What an idiot I was to had actually believed that I had handled the situation well, that is, until the eavesdropping friendship fanatic yanked my ear and unleashed upon me one of her lectures.

"_Katsuya Jounouchi! How can you be so dense?_" she had practically shrieked into my ear. "_Can't you ever stop and take a few seconds to think before you answer? She's finally loosening up, and this is how you react! She needs a friend, Jounouchi!_" I had stared at her blankly, eventually causing her to sigh loudly, annoyed. She let go of my ear and stormed off. I was still oblivious.

**-- -•- --**

Why couldn't I tell **you**? **You** only wanted to know if **you** were in my dream, if **you** were my friend. There's nothing wrong with considering **you** a friend, so why can't I just admit it? I mean, it isn't that hard. A simple "yes" would've done it. Why are those words so hard to say? Maybe, I don't know how to say them. Perhaps, my pride was in the way.

If only I had answered truthfully. It might've saved **you.**

**-- -•- --**

"_And the next two duelists are… Duelist number four, Kujaku Mai! She will be dueling against… Duelist number seven, Ishtar Malik!_"

That last name had hit a sore spot. In my ears, it oozed evil, cruelty and insanity. This… duelist was definitely a skilled card player, but that wasn't what worried me. It was the fact that he was a lunatic! After all he's done, I wasn't only afraid that **you** would lose the duel, but **your** life as well. After all, I nearly had, along with my best friend, Yugi, at his hands, or mind in that particular case…

I had shaken my head vigorously to clear my head of gloomy thoughts.

_**You** are a great duelist!_ I had thought. _With a little support, **you** can defeat this whack job._

"_Come one, Yug! Let's go to the platform and cheer Mai on!_" I told my best friend, the world's greatest duelist.

"_No._"

A silence followed.

"_Excuse me?_" Yugi asked.

"_No. I don't need your little pep squad cheering me on in order to win. I have my confidence and my skill and that's all I need!_" **you** stated, just barely managing to keep **your** voice even but the expression **you** wore made up for that.

I didn't understand why, but **your** words hurt. They stung as my fear for **your** safety resurfaced. Quickly, I attempted to bury them and shrugged off **your** words, convincing myself that **you** were just getting really confident and prideful again. Even so, I wouldn't let **you** got through this alone.

"_Whether you like it or not, we'll be up there cheering you on! That's the least we can do._" I had replied, my voice betraying the unexplainable rage and hurt I felt.

**You** sighed angrily before storming off. "_Fine, but I _don't_ need your help!_"

"_But Yugi dueled him before and-_"

"_I _don't_ need your help!_"

**-- -•- --**

It hurts watching you in this state, lying there with very little medical care thanks to our cold-hearted host. Then again, even if he did make the slightest effort, it probably wouldn't do any good.

Your face, pale and smooth, and your once prideful and confident expression now blank. Your body was here, but your mind was trapped in an endless nightmare.

How this was possible, I don't know. I only believe it because I had witnessed it and experienced the power of the 'Millennium Items' at Duelist Kingdom. Yugi has one, but he doesn't really use it, not in an obvious way, at least. Marik, on the other hand…

I'm not sure, but I think that the rage I feel isn't just because Marik had hurt people. It just doesn't feel like the typical anger I feel when the magical Egyptian artifacts, these cards or anything with cruel intentions hurt innocents. Was it fear, I feel? Regret? Loss? Yes, there was definitely a little of those three, but there's another feeling. One I don't understand nor describe.

However, I _do_ know for certain are the thoughts of revenge that dominate my mind.

Marik would pay.

**-- -•- --**

"_It can't be!_" you had cried. Your match against Marik was nearing its end. Golden manacles chained you to a stone wall with hieroglyphs carved into the stone.

The third round had begun simply enough. Cards were played and threats were exchanged. It started more as a battle of intimidation than a duel of cards. But then it happened and it was worse than I had initially feared.

Using the power of his ancient Egyptian artifact, the millennium rod**, he had transported the dueling field into another dimension: the shadow realm. I don't know much about it, but with Yugi owning a millennium item, I learned enough to fear it. Within this realm, the cards were brought to life, no, here the monsters existed thus their effects were real. They were no longer dueling with holograms; it was the real thing, they were dueling for their souls.

"_Oh, but it can, my dear. You should have listened to your friends. Now you will pay the ultimate price for your pride!_"

He began to chant in ancient Egyptian, summoning the creature that would deal the final blow. As he did, countless bolts of lightning struck the field before him and storm clouds formed in the darkness above. The great god Ra emerged.

It was more breathtaking when controlled. The majestic golden thunderbird loomed over its prey. Waiting. Waiting for an order from its master. I knew what his master would command and I couldn't allow the great deity to fulfill its task. Too many have suffered already.

I broke into a sprint for the field. I heard my friends protest, but I ignored them. **You** were about to be killed, couldn't they see that? I leapt up and gripped the ledge of the metal battlefield then pulled myself up onto it. I continued to run for **you**.

"_Step down from the field or be disqualified!_" barked a Kaiba Corp. security guard.

"_Big deal!_" I shouted without looking back. Actually, I did care, but a life is more important than some silly tournament hosted by a snobby genius… right?

I dashed over to **you**. I stumbled a few times, but quickly recovered. When I reached you, I began tugging ferociously at the chains.

"_Who are you?_"

I froze. Marik couldn't have been serious.

"_It's me Mai! Don't you remember me?_"

"_That voice…It's so familiar…_"

That bastard! He wasn't kidding! This was another twist to this damn magic stuff. There's always a catch with these 'shadow games', I just hadn't believed that son of a bitch when he told us earlier. With every monster destroyed, he had said, the creature's master would forget someone dear to him or her. I didn't think it was possible. Then again, I'm in over my head when it comes to this magic stuff.

Wait. I just realized something. Someone _dear_ to them? Mai actually thought of us as her friends? She thought of _me_ as a friend? I quickly pushed that train of thought aside for the moment and focused on the task at hand.

"_You have to remember, Mai!_" you looked up at me, staring at a stranger.

That lost gaze will haunt me forever, but it had washed away all my fear and left only a firm determination to save you. Taking a deep breath, I told you the truth.

"_Remember when you asked 'bout my dream? You asked if you were in it? Well, I lied. You _were_ in it, Mai! You saved me!_" sudden familiarity flickered in **your** eyes. Those beautiful violet orbs widened.

"_Jounouchi?_"

**-- -•- --**

How can anyone do that? No human could take such pleasure from destroying the body, mind and soul individually, slowly. What am I saying? He isn't human. I wouldn't be surprised if he were the devil himself, or Set, as he is Egyptian. Yet, don't even deities, evil or pure, have souls?

Apparently not, for even lost in the joy of saving **your** mind, I was brought crashing back to reality when he reminded me of another issue…

**-- -•- --**

**You** noticed the danger that was behind me and snapped me out of my happy daze. "_Jounouchi! Leave me and save yourself!_"

I had forgotten about the God Ra who would now kill us both but I didn't give a damn anymore. It could kill me if it wanted, but **you** had to escape. With fierce determination, I stood my ground. "_I won't leave you, Mai. You're my friend and friends stick together, even in dire times like these. Come on! Let's get you out of here!_" I tugged and pulled with all my might but I couldn't undo **your** bindings. Leave it to me to charge in head first without a plan. Death seemed inevitable. Were **your** eyes tearing?

"_No!_" Our attention was momentarily diverted from our impending dooms when we saw Yugi bounding onto the field.

"_Yug! No!_" "_Don't, Yugi!_" we cried, but to no avail. He came between the god and us and took the blast full on. My heart stopped, my stomach lurched. My best friend was going to die for us. Suddenly, I realized the attack wasn't killing him. In fact, he seemed to be absorbing it painfully. Carefully eying my friend I realized that it wasn't him. Such physical strength and confidence (and height), it was the spirit of his artifact taking control of his body.

When the attack relented and finally ceased, the Yugi we all knew and loved was the one who fell to the ground exhausted. I ran over to him to see if he was all right and was relieved to find that he was only unconscious. The Kaiba Corp. security guard declared Marik the victor and the vile creature slowly crossed the battlefield toward us.

When did we return from the shadow realm?

"_You jerk! How can you do this? It's only a god damn game for crying out loud! You son of a-_" I couldn't speak anymore. It seems that he had frozen me with his millennium item to shut me up. Bastard.

"_Don't meddle in affairs that aren't your concern_" he told me knowing full well that I couldn't say anything to contradict him. "_As for you, although you might retain the memories of you're friends, a deal's a deal and your mind is mine!_" I was helpless to stop him. I could do nothing but watch as **your** mind was swept away in a cruel flash of golden light…

**-- -•- --**

When that light faded, and I saw **your** face, it was actually the way it is now: Blank. I don't think that words can express the way I felt then. The pain, the anguish, the sorrow, and many more emotions that were all mixed together within me just about ready to burst. It was overwhelming. Then, I thought I understood why I felt strange today. **You** truly were my friend. But now, as I think about it, it's more than that. Could it be…?

I look at **your** face once more, and then turn away sharply. All the memories of our moments together seemed to flash before my eyes. Our first duel when we met at Duelist Kingdom, when **you** thought I was an amateur (and you were right). Then when **you** shared your food with us, saving my friends and I from our own stupidity. When you were willing to give Yugi your spare star chips to lift his spirits after his mind-crushing duel against Kaiba…

All those memories and within each one, we fought, but now I realize what I've been hiding from everyone, including myself. I now know what was the largest shard, and the most clouded one, was.

I love **you**.

"Jou?" Anzu peeked into the room "Kaiba's doctor is going to take a look at her now." I nodded and she left quietly. I slowly exited the room myself, but before closing the door, I took one final look at **you**.

I love you, Mai.

I swear, I _will_ defeat Marik

I_ will_ return your mind to its rightful place

If it's the last thing I do…

**THE END**

*Wow, I actually remembered something from my science class!- Wait a minute... Holy crap! I'm the same age as the Yu-Gi-Oh cast… I'm in the same freakin' grade… Awesome!

**Feel free to insert a dirty joke here. I know, I know. It's getting old. XP

**-- -•- --**

**Mistina:** Can you guys believe I wrote most of this stuff from memory *is so proud of herself* (Any information I messed up should be considered AU, thankies! ;;)

**Seto:** Mistina?

**Mistina:** Yeah?

**Seto:** *hands her some special paper* Here's 50 dollars. Go buy yourself a life.

**Mistina:** *Fumes as she pockets money* Oh… You're going to regret that…

**Seto:** *cocks eyebrow* Really now?

**Mistina:** *Pulls out dog whistle and a slab of raw meat*

**Seto:** *eyes widen* You wouldn't!

**Mistina:** *evil grin then blows whistle* Sick 'im my bishis! Mwa! Ha! Ha! Ha!

*a rabid Yami Bakura and a sweet Jou appear*

**Jounouchi:** *attacks Seto with puppy eyes, both painful and distracting…*

**Seto:** Sweet merciful Ra! Nooo!

**Y.Baku:** ((Uh… Censored due to extremely… uh… graphic violence…))

**Mistina:** *satisfied grin* Good boys. *gives Y. Baku raw meat and Jou a whole pizza*

**Seto:** *Taken out on stretcher*

**Mistina:** That'll teach him... *giggles evilly* Oh! Ryou, could you do the honors?

**Ryou:** *enters and sighs* Please R&R *is thinking that they're all really freakin' nuts* --;;>

**Mistina:** Mwee! Thank you! *glomps Ryou*

**Ryou:** O.O

**Mistina:** Oh! Before you go R&R (well, you might be, I don't know) I might consider writing a sequel from Mai's POV if I get enough reviews. .

**Masaro:** Mrow *looks around* wha…. Everyone's gone, damn beta reading takes too long *walks off into the distance, rustling her bone wings angrily*


End file.
